Process of dry-cleaning garments.



PATENTED NOV. 1, 1904.

L. E. BARBE. PROCESS OF DRY CLEANING GARMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.30, 1902.

I ZSHEETB-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

an m" UNITED STATES IatentedNovember 1, 1904.

.PATENT OFFICE.

PROC ESSTOF DRY-CLEANENG eAnmEN-rs,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 2atei1t-No.774,025, dated November 1, 1904. Application filed December 30, 1902. Serial No. 137,162. (No specimens-l I To azz whom may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS ETIENNE BARBE, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Paris, in the Republic of Franc'e,(whose full postal address is 18 Rue Mogador, Paris, aforesaid,) have invented a certain new and useful Process for Dry-Cleaning and Disinfection of Clothes by Means of Volatile Solvent, (for which I have obtained a patent inFrance, No. 321, 542, hearing date June 4, 1902, and inGreat Britain, No. 17,397, August 7, 1902.) of which the following is a specification. This invention has for its object an improved process of dry-cleaning garments, clothes',&c.

by means of volatile solvent, the said process insuring-on the one side the rapid and perfect. treatment of the objects to be cleaned and on the other side the complete recuperation 0fthe chemical agent employed for the said treatment.

This process consists in subjecting garmentsto action of solvent in a hermetically-closed circulation of inert'ga's 'is'e' flected; in discharging the dirty solvent and in drying it from the garments before each change of solvent baths; in recuperating by distillation, con

densation, and decantation residual solvent retained on the garments, and in storing the whole of the liquid sol vent thus removed from, i

the cleaning apparatusin closed vessels under action of inert gas; in recuperating the said inert gas, separating it from solventvapors mixed'therewith, and storing the said inert gas, which circulatesaccording to a perfectly closed circle without communication with the atmosphere The carrying out of my process will be fully described in the following specification, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, which represent, as an example Figure 1, the diagrammatic view of a general instalment'adapted to carry out my process; Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5. and 6, detail views of several devices included in the instalment shown in Fig 1. g Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is a cleaning apparatus, preferably of the kind which forms the object of my United States Patent No.

directly operated bythemainshaft 15. Man-, hole '54 enables introducing objects'to bef treated into the apparatus 1, which is connected with the following devices: 1

. The apparatus-'1 is connected by means of ervoirs' 8, containing the chemical agentor i solvent employed in the operations.

[The apparatus 1' is connected by means of pipe 58 (crossing the axis 57, which is hollow at this end) and cook 11 with a vessel 12, adapted to work as a heater. pose the said vessel is provided witha tubular system 66, Fig. 2, in which may enter steam coming through pipe 21 and cook 27, the said steam escaping outwardiy through tnbulure 7,1 Thestove 12 is connected with areservoir 4 1- by means of pipe 14 and cock'13, and the pipe 14 communicates with a pumpi by means of a cook 22, the saidpump being itself 'connected with the apparatus 1 by means of pipe 5, cock 3, and pipe 59 and being operated by means of transmission 52.

The apparatus 1' is connected by means of cook '23, filter 63, and pipe 24-with a collectorreceiver '25, having for its purpose to collect the liquid solvent (chemical agent) at the end of a cleaning operation.

The apparatusl is connected bymeans of pipe 61,'cock 17, pipe 18, and tubulure 76 with the tubular system 67 of a refrigerator'lll,

having for its purpose to condense the solvent vapors exhausted from the apparatus 1. A

- suitable circulation of cold water through the said refrigerator is insured by means of pipes 5 3' 53. Lastly, the jacketed casing 56 'of the pipes'64 and 9, cocks 7, and pipe 59 withr'es- For this purapparatus 1 may be heated by means of steam coming from pipe 21 through cock 20 and pipesfSO 60, and, furthermore, the inner space of the said apparatusmay communicate with the atmosphere through a valved coupling 50, joining the pipes 59 and 51. e

The general instalment shown in Fig. 1 in- -clude s.between. its several elements the folnected onthe one side with the receiver by means of pipes d0, cocks 79, and pipe 39 and on the other side with the reservoir 4A by 'means of pipes t5 dfiand cock 80. of the pipe at enters the extremity of a purifier t8, Fig. 6, with bafie-plates 72 7 3, which is half-filled with a very good solvent of the chemical agent employed for the cleaning in such a manner that the gases before escaping outwardly cross the purifier, following the way indicated by the arrows 7%. Thus the gases escaping into atmosphere through pipe 49 are completely free from vapors of the chemical agent employed for the cleaning. Lastly, the bottom of the reservoirs 8 is connected by means of cook 81 with a pipe d3, having for its purpose to conduct the solvent when it has become too dirty to be utilized toward any purifier apparatus. (Not shown in the drawings, because it forms no part of the invention.)

T he receiver 25 communicates by means of a pipe 38 with a receptacle 37, in which air may be compressed by means of a pump 41, actuated by transmission 42. On the other side the receiver 25 is joined by means of pipe 36 and cock 8% to a receiver 35, having for its purpose to collect the chemical agent condensed in the refrigerator 19, the latter being itself connected with the receiver 85 through the medium of the following apparatus: The tubular system 67 of the refrigerator 19 communicates with a pipe 28, entering the top of any controlling device 29, the glass 68 of which, Fig. 4:, permits the operator to watch the condensing operation. The bottom of the device 29 is joined to a separator vessel 30., which is connected on the one side with the pump 4: by means of pipe 31 and cook i and on the other side withaFlorentine vessel 33 by means of cool; 32 and pipe 78. The said Florentine vessel, Fig. 5, has for its purpose to separate the water from condensed chemical agent, (solvent,) the latter escaping through the tubulnre 71 and the pipe 34: to fall into the receiver 35, whereas the water passing under the wall 69 escapesoutwardly through the pipe 70.

Having thus described, as an example, a general instalment suitable to carry out my improved process, T will describe now, step by step, the carrying out of the said process.

1; Charging the cleaning apparat-us.-The whole of the cocks on the apparatus 1 are closed,the manhole 541s opened, the garments, clothes, or objects to be treated are introduced into the inner cylinder 55, after having been previously freed from all moisture and dust,

and the manhole 54: is then hermetically closed. The air contained in the apparatus 1 is then drawn out, and for this purpose the cooks 3 and 2'are opened, the pump 4 isput in action,

and the air exhausted from the apparatus 1 is.

rejected through the pipe 6, following the The end wanes Way indicated by the arrow a. When the vacuum is produced in the apparatus 1 ,the coclr 3 is closed, the pump 4.- is put out of action,

and the cock 2 is closed. The chemical agent (solvent) is then introduced into the apparatus '1. For this purpose the cock 7 is opened and the solvent flows through the pipe 9., following the way indicated by the arrow 8'. The transferring of the said solvent is edected only by the action-of gravity, as the level of the reservoirs 8 is higher than that of apparatus 1, thus doing away with the expense for motive power. Vli'hen the level indicated by the gage 10 has risen to the desired height, the cock 7 is closed. The apparatus, 1 is then filled with inert gas. For this'purpose the cocks 13 and 11 are opened and the gas under pressurecontained'in the reservoir a l flows through the pipe 14., the vessel 12, the cock 11, and the pipe 58, following the way indicated by the arrows As soon as the pressure in the apparatus 1 has become equal to the atmospheric pressure the cocks 11 and 13 are closed and the apparatus is ready for the operation of the cleaning.

II. Cleaning 0 disinfecting the objects. The transmission 16 is put in action, imparting then a slow oscillating motion to the cylinder 55, and insuring thus the regular action of the solvent on all the parts of the objects treated at the same time. Furthermore, the rapidity of the said action and its full edect are insured by the heating of the apparatus 1. For this purpose the cock 20 is opened and steam is introduced into the jacketed casing 56. in order to prevent a too great increase of pressure in the apparatus 1, resulting of the heating of the vapors therein, the coclrs 11, 3, and 22 are opened andthe pump a is put in action, whereby the circulation of inert gas and solvent vapors is efl'ected (following the arrows g' g through the apparatus 1. Furthermore, the cook 17 is opened, whereby the inside of the apparatus l'is made to communicate with the refrigerator 19 through the pipe 18.

III. Recupemtz'ng the sol/vent employed in the cleaning.-When the cleaning is ended, the cook 23 is opened andthe liquid solvent flows, following the way indicated by the arrow 8 into the receiver 25. l/Vhen this di charge is ended, the transmission 26 is put in action in order to impart to the cylinder-55 a rapid rotary motion, and exhausting-thus by drying the liquid solvent retained on the objects. Whereas the cleaning may include the use of several solvent-baths, it will sheet in this case-before each change of baths the discharge of. the liquid solvent by means, of the aforesaid two operations. Lastly, after the last change of baths the complete recupera tion of the solvent is insured as follows: The cocks 23 and 3 are closed, and the cock 65 is opened. The cock 27 is opened to admit the heating-steam into the stove 12 without IIO interrupting the heating of the apparatus 1, and the pump 4 is put in action. By this means a circulation of hot inert gas is effected through the apparatus, following the way indicated by the arrows g m m g. This con- 7 tinuous circulation of inert. gas, constantly ing passed the controlling device 29. The in ert gas isscparated from the liquid solvent in the said separator, and drawn out through the pipe 31 by the pump 4 it renters in the circulation above mentioned. During the whole of this operation the exhaust is maintained only to extent of a few centimeters, as the gas drawn off at each stroke of pump, following the wa indicated by the arrows m, m and 9 is replaced in the apparatus 1 by the gas forced back from the pump 4, following the way indicated by the arrows 9'.

IV. Recupeh'ating the inert gas employed in the recuperation f the s0lvent.When the controlling device 29 has indicated the end of the condensation effected in the refrigerator 19, the cocks 11, 20, 27, and 65 are closed and the cook 13 is opened. The pump 4 is continued'in action,so as to draw the inert gas from the apparatus 1, following the way indicated by the arrows m, m g and g and to force the said gas into the reservoir 44. The

apparatus 1 is thus again completelyexhaust- 4 ed and the said exhausting is made very rapid by this fact, that during the said operation the said apparatus continues to be rotated and heated.

l7. Reina vine the cleaned objects. For the purpose of removing the cleaned. objects the cocks 17. and 13 are closed, the pump 4 is stopped, and the cock 50 is opened, what enables to open the manhole 54 and the objects contained in the apparatus 1 to be'removed.

VI Storing the solvent employed and reeuperated.1t will be seen from the above description that the solvent is now collected in several two vesselsviz., receiver and separator 30. First, the solvent contained in the separator is conveyed into the receiver 25, following the way indicated by the ar rows 8 For this purpose the cock .32 is opened. the separator 30 is-emptied into the Florentine vessel33, and thence into the reservoir 35. It may be advantageousto collect into the reservoir the solvent recuperated by distillation (coming from several cleanings) when the quantity produced by only one cleaning is too little. When the quantity of solvent collected in the said reservoir is become sufficient, the cock 84 is then opened and the solvent falls into the receiver 25,, so that finally the solvent is collected in the said single vessel from which it is stored into the reservoirs 8 in the following manner: After having compressed in the. receptacle 37a suflicient quantity of air by means of. the pump 41 the cock 84 is closed and communication is established between the receptacle 37 and the receiver 25. The solventis forced by'the compressed air into the reservoirs 8, following the Way indicated by the arrows s. The small quantity of solvent vapors which could be carried out by the air discharged to the outside through the pipes 45 and 46 is retained by the purifier with baflie-plates 48, which is half-filled with a very good solvent of the.

chemical agent employed for the cleaning.

1f benzene, petroleum-essence, carbon-tetrachlorid are employed, the best solvent for this purpose is oil. When the air escapes outwardly through the pipe 49, it is entirely free from. all traces of vapors of the chemical agent employed, (solventL) 'Lastly, in the case where the inert gas collected into the reservoir 44 could draw with it some solvent vapors, which are then condensed therein, the said solvent is stored in the same manner as described in the case of the receiver 25; but the inert gas compressed in 44is employed instead of air. by the arrows 5 fall into the reservoirs 8,

whereas the inert gas is caused before being expelled to the outside to purifier 48. I

In short, it will beseen from. the above. specification that, first, the solvent employed is completely. recuperated, whereas coming from the reservoirs 8 it is entirely reintroduced in the latter, either after having folpass through the lowed in state of liquid the closed cycle indicated by the arrows .s 8 8 V or in state of vapor and of liquid the closed cycle indicated bythe arrows s m. m 8 9 or, finally, in state of vapor and of liquid the closed cycle indicated by the arrows s m m g g 8 second, the inertgas employed is completely recuperated, whereas coming from the reservoir 44it is entirely recharged in the latter, as it travels either the closed cycle indicated by the. arrows g g without at any time being The solvent follows the way indicated put in connection with the atmosphere orthe Y closed cycle indicated by the arrows g m m g g*. In this manner any traces of solvent vapors which may resist theaction of the refrigerator 19 will be condensed in the reservoir 44 and recuperated in themanner above specified, so that the recuperation of the solvent employed for the cleaning is effectively absolutely perfect.

' Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim ing garments by means-of volatile solvent,

with recuperating they'vhole of th latter; the,

v 12 5 1. A process of dry-cleaning and disinfectapparatus continually rotated and heated, through which, at the same time, a continuous circulation of inert gas is efiected; in discharging the dirty solvent and in drying the garments before each change of solvent-baths; in recuperating, by distillation condensation and decantation, residual solvent retained on substantially as described.

2. In a process of dry-cleaning and disinfooting garments by means of volatile solvent with recuperating the whole of the latter, the method which consists in discharging the dirty solvent remaining liquid. in the cleaning apparatus, in'drying that retained on the garments which are continuously heated, and in collecting, before each change of solvent-bath, both quantities of liquid solvent thus removed; removing, at the end of cleaning, the residual solvent retained in the garments, by distilling it under action of continuous-circulation of inert gas passing, hot and under avery slight pressure following a closed cycle, through the garments continously rotated and heated; in condensing the solvent thus evaporated, separating it fromthe inert gas and reheating the latter before it reenters into the cleaning apparatus; in collecting together with dirty solvent previously discharged in liquid state from the cleaning apparatus, the solvent thus recuperated, and in storing the whole thus collected by forcing it to pass, under action of compressed air, into reservoirs established at a level higher than that of the cleaning apparatus, the compressed air employed for this storing being forced, before it escapes to pass through a purifier with bathe-plates which is half filled with a very good solvent of the chemical agent used for the cleaning; substantially as described.

c In witness whereof l; have hereunto set my hand. in presence of two witnesses.

LOUKS ETIENNE BABBE.

' Witnesses:

PHLLEBUs fCOBER ROBEKEL, Juries Faronnn'r. 

